The Legend of Camp Everfree (Spoilers) · 7:21pm Oct 1st, 2016
There's no new chapter/story this week, sadly, but I do definitely have something to talk about.
"The Legend of Camp Everfree" has hit NetFlix! I managed to avoid spoilers beyond the first ten minutes released to the internet officially, so I went in completely blind, hoping for a worthy successor to what I thought was an excellent trilogy of movies. So how did the movie hold up?
I ADORE this movie. It does everything a sequel should do, hitting all of the plot threads opened in previous films while still carrying itself with interesting, believable new characters with understandable and legitimate motivations. This one movie gave Timber more personality than Flash has displayed in 4 straight films. Even his cheesy pickup lines ended up feeling endearing rather than obnoxious, and he was still made to be a good guy in the end through his undying loyalty to supporting his sister no matter how insane she went, and his general willingness to help the campers without being asked. Seriously, it would be so easy for a character like this to end up being completely insufferable one way or another, but like Season 1 Rarity he manages to have enough sincere virtues to overcome his character flaws and ends up being totally likable for both. But then, from the writers that gave us Ember I guess it shouldn't be SUCH a huge surprise. Even Gloriosa Daisy, a character I expected to hate, ended up being pretty cool in the end. The only character they really dropped the ball on was Filthy Rich, who was as generic as generic could get, but he wasn't even the point, in the end.
Also I thank the writers for not putting Timber and Twilight through that "quasi-tsundere" bullshit Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry spent 2 movies doing. Seriously, they were behaving like goddamned elementary schoolers. It was nice to see these two hit it off without all of the bush-beating.
Speaking of Flash Sentry, he didn't do much here, but the moments he spent with Sunset Shimmer were actually pretty sweet. And while I don't know how I feel about the idea of the two getting back together, it does make a lot of sense, and it was handled with enough finesse here to where I wouldn't mind seeing it come to pass.
The nature of the girls' powers weren't entirely evident from the trailers, and I really like what they ended up doing with them. Twilight's telekinesis, Rainbow Dash's super speed, Applejack's super strength, and Fluttershy's animal communication were basically a given, but the other three were a bit more creative. Pinkie Pie basically becomes "Gambit" from the X-Men, causing things she touches to randomly explode. I've never seen this power utilized outside of Marvel, but it really does suit the chaotic nature of the character and the things she does. Explosions just tend to happen around Pony Pinkie Pie whatever she is doing, and this is a pretty good extension of that. Rarity becomes Invisible Woman, without the actual "invisibility" part. Creating diamonds out of the air is... interesting, but probably the least suiting to her. I get the connection, and I'm not sure what else she could have done, but I feel like there could have been SOMETHING better. Sunset Shimmer as a telepath/empath was pretty inspired, in my opinion. As an Equestria Girls exclusive character she doesn't really have a pony-self to draw inspiration from, giving her an ability that she seems to demonstrate pretty well in the previous films was just a good move. Sunset Shimmer has always been an emotionally charged character, and she's been trying to manage the emotions of those in Canterlot High since the beginning, for better or for worse. This is a natural extension of who she is, and it really works.
The movie wasn't flawless, though. A few minor sticking points.
1: Refusing to reveal the ages of the characters is a series tradition at this point, but the relationship forming between Twilight and Timber becomes a little... sticky, without that information. Given that he co-owns Camp Everfree and is almost certainly over 18, while Twilight could be as young as 14... yeah. This just proves to me that the girls are probably intended to be 17/18, at least.
2: As I said earlier, Filthy Rich is so by-the-book they could have replaced him with a sentient flying book and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
3: Gloriosa's descent into complete madness was a little too sudden. Like, there was no reason for her to do that at that point. If she did it in response to Filthy Rich showing up to claim the land that would be one thing, but she was effectively "shielding" the camp from nothing at that point. I could just imagine if nobody had superpowers with which to stop her she would just end up yawning and floating away to take a nap while everyone waits for Filthy Rich to show up.
Those are really the only major gripes I have with the film. It was extremely enjoyable, had really strong conflicts and characters, and kept me engaged throughout. It might be my new favorite EG movie. Don't get me wrong, as characters Timber and Gloriosa can't touch the Dazzlings or Shadowbolts, but just from a story structure and great writing standpoint, this is the current highlight. Very well done, can't wait for the Blu-Ray to come in.
Might wanna...might wanna put a page break tag in this blog post so you don't spoil the movie for your followers.
4235304
I didn't know that was an option. Thank you for pointing that out.
4235304 it isn't spoiling the movie when it is on netflilx
this movie gives me a ton of ideas for rainbow dash fanfics, but tbh gloriosa was the worst villain IMHO, how does causing chaos in the camp IMPROVE the camper's expiriences
4235314
I think the idea is that she was trying to preserve it within the branches, so Filthy Rich couldn't come and change it. Like preserving something by freezing it in a block of ice so that it stays "perfect". It's not totally logical, but she wasn't thinking logically at that point.
4235320 she also caused an earthquake
4235325
I think the implication was that the earthquake was accidental while she was trying to unblock the river for camper-enjoyment.
Did you see my review for it?
I thought it deserved the Slauvage (decent, but nowhere near as good as Friendship Games and Rainbow Rocks).
4235313 It is if some of his followers haven't watched it yet or don't have Netflix.
4235332 ok
4235329 oh
4235330
I have now, and I wholeheartedly disagree on pretty much all of your negative points but respect your right to your opinion.
4235355 So we can still be friends?
I have a blog post regarding my opinion, but in general, it's okay, just not as great as Rainbow Rocks.
FWIW, I'm wondering if there are a few DC fans in the MLP:EqG production team and Rarity is supposed to be one of the Indigo Tribe. If so, her 'diamonds' are actually energy constructs and I imagine that, with time and experience, she'll be able to create more elaborate constructs for various purposes.
I'm also wondering if Sunset could end up having projecting as well as receiving telempathy. That could lead to her being potentially the most powerful of the group. Imagine facing a group of muggers and she projects her fear into them, causing them to flee... or her anger at being accosted, making them turn violently against each other?
4235313
Casablanca has been out since 1942, Citizen Kane since 1941, Seven Samurai since 1974, The Godfather since 1972, and Star Wars: A New Hope since 1977. These are some of the most widely recognized films of all time, and in most cases have graced the top spot of at least one "greatest film of all time" polls among critics or audiences. They have been referenced and parodied in countless films, games, books, and television shows since they came out. Yet despite their widespread availability and fame, telling someone what happens in those films is still spoiling the films if the person being told hasn't seen them yet.
Legend of Everfree isn't somehow impossible to spoil for someone just because it's on Netflix. Mostly because spoilers have literally nothing to do with the availability of the story.
Y'know, I had a thought while watching the movie. Within the continuity of your EQG stories, I wonder how Twi's Shadowbolt friends would react to her newfound abilities?
4235926
Sugarcoat: "Time to hit the casinos."
Twilight: "Aren't you always honest?"
Sugarcoat: "Not when there's money involved."
4235358
It's a tough decision, but alright.
4235483
Rarity did have Green Lantern powers in "Power Ponies".